World Metrology Day

20th May 2012

Metrology for Safety

This year the chosen theme is Metrology for safety, reflecting the importance of correct measurements to ensure our safety whether at work or in our leisure activities. Just like “metrology”, the term “safety” covers a very wide area of topics but many people are unaware of the vital role the worldwide metrology community plays.

Our safety is crucially dependent on good metrology, for example helping ensure the reliability of the planes we fly in, the impact resistance of the cars we drive, or the correct values of the radiation dose used in therapy we might one day need.

National and regional metrological regulations based on internationally agreed technical requirements help avoid or eliminate technical barriers to trade, ensure fair trade practice, care for the environment, maintain a satisfactory healthcare system, and (last but not least) ensure our safety – a concern for all of us. Some examples where OIML International Recommendations are adopted as a basis of national legislation are tire pressure gauges, speedometers, radar equipment for the measurement of the speed of vehicles, evidential breath analyzers and automatic instruments for weighing road vehicles.

Our safety depends on the metrology community doing its job, and doing it well. Indeed accurate, reliable and internationally accepted measurements are essential in the modern world as we deal with today’s grand challenges. So join us in celebrating World Metrology Day, and recognize the contribution of the intergovernmental and national organizations that work throughout the year on behalf of all the players involved in metrology for safety.

NSAI National Metrology Laboratory to mark World Metrology Day

To mark World Metrology Day 2012, NSAI NML have arranged for 3rd level students from Dublin City University to visit the NML premises in Glasnevin on the 24th May. The students who are in their third year, studying science and engineering, will be given a tour of the NML laboratories and shown practical usage of the equipment used in calibration.

Previous visits to NSAI NML

NSAI NML hosted a recent visit by a local national school were students were introduced to the equipment used by the National Metrology Laboratory along with carrying out some experiments. In the picture below Paul Hetherington, Manager, National Metrology Laboratory shows a student the national metre while other students use equipment to carry out experiments.

NSAI Legal Metrology Service and its key role in the Irish economy

The Metrology Act 1996 obliges the user of a measuring instrument used in trade, to ensure that it conforms to an approved design, is accurate and is secured against unauthorised or fraudulent adjustment.

Mairead Buckley, NSAI Legal Metrology Manager, said, “Through our enforcement of Metrology legislation, NSAI Legal Metrology aims to encourage high measurement compliance in trading transactions so that consumers and businesses can have confidence that the quantity of goods bought or sold matches the money exchanged, while at the same time supporting a fair and competitive environment for businesses through the maintenance of consistent standards for measurement. The effectiveness of the NSAI Legal Metrology inspections is reflected in the compliance culture within the economy, where the vast majority of traders are conscious of their legal responsibilities and seek to avoid the repercussions of a negative report from an NSAI Legal Metrology inspection.”

Example: NSAI Legal Metrology inspections of weighbridges
Throughout the economy weighbridges are used daily for weighing products in bulk, usually between 10 and 60 tonnes. Individuals and businesses, such as farmers, the agri-food industry and hauliers across the diverse freight and logistics sector who transport a wide range of goods from food to cement and quarry stone, rely in their business on the accuracy of measurements from these instruments.

Legally controlled weighbridges are also used by Garda road traffic enforcement to check the weights of vehicles as part of the national road safety strategy to reduce accidents on Irish roads.

Background to World Metrology Day

World Metrology Day has now become an established annual event during which more than 80 countries celebrate the impact of measurement on our daily lives, no part of which is untouched by this essential (but largely hidden) aspect of modern society.

This day was chosen in recognition of the signing of the Metre Convention in 1875, the beginning of formal international collaboration in metrology. Each year World Metrology Day is organized and celebrated jointly by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) and the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML).